Defense

Manufacturing problems are dashing the U.S. Army’s plans to boost production of urgently needed 155-mm howitzer shells, a Pentagon watchdog warned. Despite a goal of 100,000 rounds per month by October 2025, the Army had only managed to produce 36,000 rounds per month as of March 2026, according to a report published this month by the Department of Defense Inspector General. Shell production…

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), operated by Canada and the United States, has gaping holes in its airspace radar coverage. Ottawa went some way to filling those gaps when it signed four related agreements in June for a new radar system sourced from Australia. The system is called the Arctic Over-The-Horizon Radar (A-OTHR), and the deal is worth…

PARIS — Rheinmetall and MBDA will develop a high-energy laser weapon for the Germany Navy that builds on previous work by the two companies on a laser demonstrator, with the weapon system expected to be operational in 2029. The equipment office of the German armed forces signed a contract with MBDA Deutschland and Rheinmetall Waffe Munition in June to develop the full system, from reconnaissance…

VIENNA — The United Kingdom unveiled a $50 billion, decade-long push to accelerate European deep precision strike capabilities during the NATO summit on Wednesday, positioning London at the head of a coalition of twelve NATO allies. The figure is less a single procurement contract than a financing and coordination structure meant to knit together a scattered set of national and bilateral…